Ben Waldrum enters his fifth season as a
member of the Notre Dame women's soccer
coaching staff, working alongside his father,
head coach Randy Waldrum. The younger
Waldrum currently holds an advanced national
coaching diploma from the National Soccer
Coaches Association of America.

During his previous four years on the Irish
staff, Waldrum has assisted his father in developing
five All-America field players - most
notably national players of the year Katie
Thorlakson and Kerri Hanks. The 2005 Notre
Dame offense led the nation with 4.40 goals per
game while the 2006 unit had a nation-leading
+74 goal differential (85-11).

Waldrum - who spent 2002-03 playing with
the A-League's El Paso Patriots and the Dallas
Sidekicks of the Major Indoor Soccer League -
first played internationally as a prep, training in
Germany with the West Texas A&M varsity at
Sports School Wedeu (1997) and in 1998 with the
K.F.C. Uerdingen second-division Bundesliga
squad.

He played two seasons at West Texas A&M,
helping the 2000 team finish sixth in the nation.
Waldrum also trained in Denmark with the
Superliga's FC Copenhagen in the summers of
1999 and 2000, turning down a contract offer in
order to return to West Texas A&M in 1999.

Following his sophomore season, Waldrum
left school and returned to FC Copenhagen in
2001 as an under-contract player. Later in the
2001 Danish season, he moved clubs and followed
coach Flemming Pederson to Helsingor IF
in the Denmark Serian-League - where he had
four goals and three assists in the final 10 games
of the 2001 season, playing primarily in a midfield
role for the club.

Waldrum then moved from Denmark to
Mexico, where he participated in several
one-month trials in the Mexican First
Division. He first played in a handful of
exhibitions with the UNAM Pumas in
Mexico City before declining a contract
offer in order to move to Atlante and then
later to UAG Tecos in Guadalajara.

The younger Waldrum gained head
coaching experience in the summer of
2004, guiding the W-League's Fort Wayne
Fever to an 11-3-1 record and a spot in the
Midwest Division title game. That season
with the Fever included a memorable 1-0
victory in a highlighted game versus the
touring Australian Olympic Team.

"It's obviously a great thrill to coach
alongside my son but it's even more gratifying
to see the impact he has on the
players and on the rest of out coaching
staff," says the elder Waldrum.

"Because of his youth and experience
from playing in different countries, Ben
brings a fresh and unique perspective to
so many aspects of a weekly routine -
from practice drills to tactical formations and
set plays. He has been a very valuable contributor
in his time on the staff, during which time his
wide soccer experience has continued to grow."

Waldrum totaled 39 goals and 21 assists in
three seasons at Midway High School, located in
Hewitt, Texas. He earned all-state honors as a
senior at Midway and also was a member of the
North Texas Olympic Development Program
while gaining additional playing experience with
the Fort Worth United state semifinalist team
and the Hurricane F.C. (Tulsa, Okla.) team that
won four state titles.

The 26-year-old recently completed his undergraduate
studies at Bethel College in
Mishawaka, Ind., graduating in May 2006 with a
degree in sports and exercise studies.